Eastside Community Church exists to glorify God through
the pursuits of formation, family and flourishing.
VISION: WHO HAS GOD CALLED US TO BE?
FORMATION
By God’s grace alone, we are a people being formed into the image of Jesus. Through His death and resurrection, He has set us free to know God deeply, to enjoy Him fully, and to experience His transforming power each day. Therefore, we embrace a posture of ongoing dependence upon the Lord and seek to bring every area of our lives into joyful submission to Him, trusting not in our own plans or the wisdom of this world but in the goodness of the One who began a good work in us and promises to bring it to completion.
FAMILY
As those who have been loved, pursued, and adopted by God, we remember that we have been saved not into isolation but into a family. Therefore, as brothers and sisters, we seek to know and be known, to walk in the light, and to build the deep, honest, consistent relationships through which God most often shapes and sustains us. We resist self-sufficiency and choose the costly joy of a shared life, embracing together the high callings God gives His people to rejoice and mourn, to pray and persevere, to repent and forgive, and to grow in holiness and grace together.
FLOURISHING
In Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself and entrusted us with His ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, we no longer live for our own purposes, but, instead, we invest our lives into our community so that we might display the goodness of God’s character and the beauty of His kingdom to the world around us. As we are formed by His grace, we seek to embody Jesus’ steady, joyful, courageous, and compassionate presence among our neighbors and throughout the nations so that others will not only hear about true life in Jesus but see it lived before them and experience the coming of His kingdom in real time. In short, we are a people committed to the flourishing of wherever God has placed us.
VALUES: HOW DO WE GET THERE?
BEHOLDING GOD
We become what we behold — and it is our joy to behold Him.
Formation isn’t optional. Whatever you give your attention to will shape you – either in the ways of the world or in the way of Jesus. In a world full of noise and distraction, there is abundant joy, unshakeable hope, and deep satisfaction to be found in learning to live a life that truly beholds God. As we hear from Him through His Word, respond to the leading of His Spirit, and experience His loving presence even in the most ordinary moments of life, God molds us into the image of His Son. It is beholding Him that forms us.
(2 Cor. 3:12-18; Ps. 27:4, 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Heb. 12:1-2)
Formation isn’t optional. Whatever you give your attention to will shape you – either in the ways of the world or in the way of Jesus. In a world full of noise and distraction, there is abundant joy, unshakeable hope, and deep satisfaction to be found in learning to live a life that truly beholds God. As we hear from Him through His Word, respond to the leading of His Spirit, and experience His loving presence even in the most ordinary moments of life, God molds us into the image of His Son. It is beholding Him that forms us.
(2 Cor. 3:12-18; Ps. 27:4, 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Heb. 12:1-2)
RECEIVING AND RESTING UPON GRACE
We grow by receiving and resting in God’s transforming grace.
The same grace that saved us is the grace that forms us, sustains us daily, and trains us toward Christlikeness in every area of life. As followers of Jesus, we no longer live as we once did – a people striving to build life on our own terms, seeking to prove our worth to God, others, or even ourselves. Instead, we are people striving to rest in the grace God continually lavishes upon us. Therefore, gratitude – not obligation – is the greatest driver of our joyful submission to the Lord’s transforming work within us, and we long, above all else, to build rhythms of life that will allow us to receive more fully the grace that is ours in Christ.
(Titus 2:11-14; Rom.6:1-14; Matt. 11:25-30)
The same grace that saved us is the grace that forms us, sustains us daily, and trains us toward Christlikeness in every area of life. As followers of Jesus, we no longer live as we once did – a people striving to build life on our own terms, seeking to prove our worth to God, others, or even ourselves. Instead, we are people striving to rest in the grace God continually lavishes upon us. Therefore, gratitude – not obligation – is the greatest driver of our joyful submission to the Lord’s transforming work within us, and we long, above all else, to build rhythms of life that will allow us to receive more fully the grace that is ours in Christ.
(Titus 2:11-14; Rom.6:1-14; Matt. 11:25-30)
GRACE-PACED CHANGE
We expect transformation and seek it with patient faith.
Our salvation was not merely a one-time event but is also a continual process of God’s redeeming work within us as He molds us day-by-day into the image of Jesus. Therefore, we are a people who confidently expect true change. In Christ, we have been made new, and now, by God’s grace, we joyfully embrace lives characterized by repentance, obedience, and intimacy with Jesus, believing that the change we desire comes not from our own will power but by yielding our lives ever more fully to the Spirit’s transforming work within us. So, we wait patiently and faithfully for grace-paced change in ourselves and in others, trusting that the true lasting fruit Jesus promises we will bear grows in God’s timing and not our own.
(Phil. 1:6; John 15:1-11; Rom. 8:27-30, 12:1-4; Gal. 5:22-25)
Our salvation was not merely a one-time event but is also a continual process of God’s redeeming work within us as He molds us day-by-day into the image of Jesus. Therefore, we are a people who confidently expect true change. In Christ, we have been made new, and now, by God’s grace, we joyfully embrace lives characterized by repentance, obedience, and intimacy with Jesus, believing that the change we desire comes not from our own will power but by yielding our lives ever more fully to the Spirit’s transforming work within us. So, we wait patiently and faithfully for grace-paced change in ourselves and in others, trusting that the true lasting fruit Jesus promises we will bear grows in God’s timing and not our own.
(Phil. 1:6; John 15:1-11; Rom. 8:27-30, 12:1-4; Gal. 5:22-25)
PURSUED AND PURSUING
We pursue one another just as we have been pursued by God.
We worship a God who is on mission, a God who did not remain far off but came down to redeem us, a God who draws ever nearer to His people, a God who pursues continuously. Therefore, we pursue one another, refusing to remain on the fringes of the community as a spectator but jumping in to give the very best of who we are to build up our church family. We reject any form of individualized or isolated spirituality that seeks to use God’s church for our own fulfillment, and instead, we take the initiative to truly see one another, to build the formative relationships we need to thrive in our faith, and to create spaces where vulnerability is welcomed and grace is practiced.
(Luke 15:1-32; Heb. 10:19-25; Gal. 6:6-10; Col. 3)
We worship a God who is on mission, a God who did not remain far off but came down to redeem us, a God who draws ever nearer to His people, a God who pursues continuously. Therefore, we pursue one another, refusing to remain on the fringes of the community as a spectator but jumping in to give the very best of who we are to build up our church family. We reject any form of individualized or isolated spirituality that seeks to use God’s church for our own fulfillment, and instead, we take the initiative to truly see one another, to build the formative relationships we need to thrive in our faith, and to create spaces where vulnerability is welcomed and grace is practiced.
(Luke 15:1-32; Heb. 10:19-25; Gal. 6:6-10; Col. 3)
SACRIFICIAL LOVE
We joyfully and sacrificially give of ourselves for the sake of one another.
Family life is marked by ordinary acts of love. We do not wait to be served; we take initiative to pray, encourage, host, give, celebrate, and help in practical ways. Generosity of time, resources, attention, and affection is not exceptional here—it is normal. We carry burdens together, invest in one another’s growth, and give ourselves freely because Christ has given Himself for us. We do not merely endure life together; we enjoy it — sharing meals, laughter, stories, and rest as signs of God’s goodness among us.
(1 John 4:7-21; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-12)
Family life is marked by ordinary acts of love. We do not wait to be served; we take initiative to pray, encourage, host, give, celebrate, and help in practical ways. Generosity of time, resources, attention, and affection is not exceptional here—it is normal. We carry burdens together, invest in one another’s growth, and give ourselves freely because Christ has given Himself for us. We do not merely endure life together; we enjoy it — sharing meals, laughter, stories, and rest as signs of God’s goodness among us.
(1 John 4:7-21; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-12)
CHRIST-CENTERED UNITY
We fight for unity within the diversity of God’s family.
In the finished work of Christ, we have been united to one another and given a new identity that supersedes all earthly relationships and affiliations. Before we are anything else, we are His. Therefore, we refuse to be drawn into the divisiveness and polarization that plagues our culture today, and we fight not to win arguments but to love well. We seek understanding over division, courage over avoidance, and nuance over generalizations, and, in seasons of disagreement, we pursue peace, repentance, and forgiveness with patience, believing that a diversity of gifts, backgrounds, and opinions only strengthens a family that has been made one in Christ. Unity not uniformity is our ultimate pursuit.
(Phil 2:1-10; Eph. 2:17-22, 4:1-16; Matt. 12:48-50; John 17:20-23; Ps. 133)
In the finished work of Christ, we have been united to one another and given a new identity that supersedes all earthly relationships and affiliations. Before we are anything else, we are His. Therefore, we refuse to be drawn into the divisiveness and polarization that plagues our culture today, and we fight not to win arguments but to love well. We seek understanding over division, courage over avoidance, and nuance over generalizations, and, in seasons of disagreement, we pursue peace, repentance, and forgiveness with patience, believing that a diversity of gifts, backgrounds, and opinions only strengthens a family that has been made one in Christ. Unity not uniformity is our ultimate pursuit.
(Phil 2:1-10; Eph. 2:17-22, 4:1-16; Matt. 12:48-50; John 17:20-23; Ps. 133)
EVERYDAY MISSION
We daily embrace our calling as ambassadors sent on mission to our neighbors and to the nations.
God has uniquely equipped and sovereignly placed each of us in this time and place for His purposes. We are not accidents in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, or relationships but ambassadors sent on mission into even the most ordinary spaces of life. Therefore, we seek to discern and embrace our specific gifts and passions and then pursue lives where our faith and vocation are not separated but integrated under Christ every moment of every day.
(2 Cor. 5:17-20; Acts 17:24-28; John 20:21)
God has uniquely equipped and sovereignly placed each of us in this time and place for His purposes. We are not accidents in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, or relationships but ambassadors sent on mission into even the most ordinary spaces of life. Therefore, we seek to discern and embrace our specific gifts and passions and then pursue lives where our faith and vocation are not separated but integrated under Christ every moment of every day.
(2 Cor. 5:17-20; Acts 17:24-28; John 20:21)
HOSPITALITY AS HABIT
We open our lives so others can encounter Christ through us.
Compelled by Christ’s love, we make space for others in our homes, schedules, and conversations, believing people often belong before they believe and that authentic, unhurried relationships create room for faith to grow. Therefore, we regularly invite others not into perfection but into the often messy presence of a life being transformed by grace.
(Luke 14:12-24; Rom. 12:13; Lev. 19:33-34; Acts 2:42-47)
Compelled by Christ’s love, we make space for others in our homes, schedules, and conversations, believing people often belong before they believe and that authentic, unhurried relationships create room for faith to grow. Therefore, we regularly invite others not into perfection but into the often messy presence of a life being transformed by grace.
(Luke 14:12-24; Rom. 12:13; Lev. 19:33-34; Acts 2:42-47)
JOYFUL PRESENCE
We breathe the life of Christ into every place He has sent us.
As those who have been brought from death to life, we carry the hope of the gospel into the ordinary spaces of life. We seek the good of our neighbors through truth, compassion, justice, generosity, and sacrifice — not out of obligation but as people filled with zeal and confidence in Christ. Our presence is meant to bring light into the darkness, peace into the anxiety, and hope into the weariness of the world. Therefore, we speak openly of the life we have found in Jesus, and we long to become the kind of people whose joy, endurance, and love quietly point others to where true life can be found.
(Jer. 29:4-7; Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Pet. 3:14-16; Col. 4:5-6)
As those who have been brought from death to life, we carry the hope of the gospel into the ordinary spaces of life. We seek the good of our neighbors through truth, compassion, justice, generosity, and sacrifice — not out of obligation but as people filled with zeal and confidence in Christ. Our presence is meant to bring light into the darkness, peace into the anxiety, and hope into the weariness of the world. Therefore, we speak openly of the life we have found in Jesus, and we long to become the kind of people whose joy, endurance, and love quietly point others to where true life can be found.
(Jer. 29:4-7; Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Pet. 3:14-16; Col. 4:5-6)